On July 4th, 2025, our great nation will celebrate its 249th birthday. With that in mind, I sat down to think about which guns most embody the American spirit.
I couldn’t just pick one, so I picked seven. I wanted to pick guns that you and I can own with minimal fuss. The minigun is pretty American, but good luck getting one.
These are the seven most American guns you and I can buy, build, and own.
The American Long Rifle
I’m using the term “American long rifle,” but it fits this article quite well. The American Long Rifle is also known as the Kentucky Rifle or the Pennsylvania rifle. The American Long Rifle is characterized by its use of a long barrel, but it chambered a smaller-than-average caliber, at least smaller compared to European rifles.
Guns with rifled bores were somewhat rare, especially for military firearms. The American Long Rifle embraced rifling, range, and better accuracy than average. The rifle was used heavily by hunters in the American colonies and would occupy the hands of American folk heroes like Daniel Boone.
It would also help Americans throw off the chains of European rule, with trained riflemen making decisive differences at the Battles of Saratoga and Cowpens. In The Kentucky Rifle, Captain John W.G. Dillin states it best: “Light in weight; graceful in line; economical in consumption of powder and lead; fatally precise; distinctly American.”
The Colt Single Action Army
Japan has the samurai, the Nords have the Vikings, and Western Europeans have all flavors of knights. But what do Americans have? We have cowboys. And when you picture a cowboy, what gun does he carry?
It’s a revolver, likely a Colt Single Action Army. The Colt SAA wasn’t the most popular cowboy pistol in the days of the Old West, but American media and cowboy films have certainly made us believe it was everywhere. The Colt SAA began life in 1873 and has a storied history with the U.S. military and the American West as a whole.
The classic six-shooter offered a robust and powerful revolver with a reputation for excellent accuracy and reliability. It was a thoroughly capable gun that has inspired dozens, if not hundreds, of clones. The Peacemaker has become a distinct part of Americana.
The M1911
Moving from one Colt .45 to another seems only appropriate. The Colt M1911 was created only 38 years after the Colt SAA but represents a rapid advancement in American arms design. The 1911 became the sidearm of the United States military and served as the sidearm of choice for over 70 years!
The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed pistol that most commonly chambers the .45 ACP cartridge. The technology that made the M1911 so successful has continued to inspire modern handgun designs, with the short-recoil operation being the dominant handgun operating system to this day.
The M1911 continued to serve past its due date in the hands of elite forces, including in the Global War on Terror. The M1911 has fought Nazis, Communists, and terrorists in its lifespan and continues to be a favorite firearm for a great many shooters.
The AR-15
AR stands for Armalite Rifle, but it might as well stand for America’s Rifle. As of this writing, it’s the most popular rifle produced and sold in the United States. Buckets and buckets of these guns are sold every year and they’re made by dozens of different companies in hundreds of configurations.
Eugene Stoner’s design looked like something out of the future upon its initial inception. The use of aluminum and polymer in the age of steel and wood was a revolutionary concept. The military adopted a select-fire version known as the M16, which, after some growing pains, became the longest-serving rifle in military history.
The AR-15 is often the first choice for a defensive rifle, a competition rifle, and even a hunting rifle. It’s lightweight, accurate, has low recoil, and is incredibly modular. The AR-15 is America’s rifle and will likely be for generations to come.
The Mossberg 590A1
Shotguns, by their nature, tend to be distinctly American. Our supposedly more civilized European friends tend to be more partial to rifles, with shotguns being nothing but sporting weapons. Americans have long used the shotgun to hunt but also to protect their homes, their communities, and their country.
The Mossberg 590A1 best represents the American fighting shotgun. The 590A1 series was built for the United States military and became a popular duty and home defense shotgun. It’s characterized by its heavy-walled barrel, bayonet lug, and its pump-action design.
It’s a rugged, reliable, and hard-hitting weapon that continues an American tradition so awesome that it made the Kaiser protest the use of shotguns during WW1. The 590A1’s design and how it’s used are distinctly American.
The Barrett M82
If you’re an anti-material rifle, everything starts to look like material! The original .50 BMG cartridge was created right after World War 1 to act as an anti-aircraft weapon in the famous Ma Deuce Machine gun. It was decades later that an American named Ronnie Barrett designed a rifle capable of firing the mighty cartridge.
Barrett revolutionized the .50 BMG rifle market and proved that it was possible to put the mighty cartridge in a shoulder-fired platform. That shoulder-fired platform was the massive Barrett M82, a semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated rifle. The long recoil action and a massive brake make the gun fairly comfortable to shoot, but its nearly 30 pounds of mass keep it isolated to bipod use.
The Barrett M82 was swiftly adopted by the American military as an anti-material rifle, and it’s powerful enough to be used as an explosive ordnance disposal tool. The M82 is pure American excess and awesomeness.
The S&W 500
Let’s end it with something that combines a number of different American factors into one gun. First, it’s a revolver, and revolvers are pure Americana. Next, it’s absurdly powerful; in fact, it’s the most powerful production handgun. Finally, it’s made by a classic American company.
The S&W 500 takes a distinct spot on our list of American guns. It’s extremely powerful and fires a round so big S&W had to create the X-Frame design. Projectiles weigh up to 700 grains! It’s absurdly powerful and, with the right ammo, can hit targets out to 200 yards.
There wasn’t a need for the S&W 500. S&W just wanted to make the most powerful cartridge on the market. There are plenty of arguments that .460 is better and more efficient. Efficiency is for nerds!
This is America! Bigger is always better!
An American Tradition
America was founded on firearms. The Revolutionary War that freed our country from British rule was done so with guns. We don’t have a history of swords and spears.
Firearms are a part of American culture, and our right to bear arms helps ensure we maintain that right. With that in mind, the 2nd Amendment is always under attack. As you enjoy the 249th anniversary of our country, take a break, but on July 5th, be ready to get back in the trenches and protect our right to keep and bear arms.
